The Value of Life

Getting Ready to Read Getting Ready to Read (in your journals…) What does being alive mean to you? How do you assign value to life? What makes life challenging? What makes it worth living? How do you define your own life? Try to describe a few examples that help show your thinking about how people should value life. Writing 2.3: Exploring significance of conditions & events.

Overview Six-day packet (120 pts.) will contain notes on: Structure Vocabulary Theme and author’s purpose Style analysis Comparison & contrast activities Individual & group work Approximately four pages of thorough notes and in-depth analysis is expected for an A. Instruction will culminate with a 10-point quiz.

“To be, or not to be” speech from Hamlet

Surveying the Text What prior experiences have you had reading plays? What do you notice about its structure? –A soliloquy is a dramatic convention that allows a character, alone on a stage, to speak aloud his or her thoughts. Reading 2.1 Analyze features of texts.

Making Predictions & Asking Questions What do you know about the language in plays written by Shakespeare? What have you done in the past to help yourself read Shakespeare effectively? The soliloquy here begins with a famous quotation: “To be, or not to be – that is the question.” What do you think “the question” is that Hamlet is asking? How do you think he might answer it? Reading 2.3 Verify facts

Introducing Key Vocabulary 1.tis 2.consummation 3.calamity 4.quietus 5.hue a.tragedy b.natural color c.death d.it is e.resolution Word Analysis 1.1 & 1.2

Background Information At this point in the play, Hamlet feels that he is in a crisis. His father died a few months earlier under mysterious circumstance. Hamlet discovers that his father was secretly murdered – by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Making things even worse, Claudius then married Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet doesn’t know what to do about this knowledge. He wonders if he can trust anyone, or if perhaps he’s going crazy. Writing 2.3: Exploring significance of conditions & events.

Read the Text As you read: Focus on what you see as the “big picture” that Hamlet describes. Would you say that Hamlet is an optimist or a pessimist, be ready to provide specific reasons for your position. Reading 2.1: Analyze features & rhetorical devices

Strategic Rereading & Evaluating the Text Strategic Marking of the Text Reread the text with a yellow highlighter. Mark places in the text where Hamlet describes what it means to be alive. –EXAMPLE: In lines 2-3, he describes life as “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” Research & Technology 1.7: Uses systematic strategies to organize & record information

Strategic Rereading & Evaluating the Text Characterizing the Text Share your highlights with a partner. Determine whether each highlight shows a positive or negative outlook on life. Next to each highlight, mark a positive (+) or a negative (-) –EXAMPLE: “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” - –I would mark this selection with a (-) because it compares being alive to being under attack. From the evidence in the soliloquy, does Hamlet seem optimistic or pessimistic? Reading 2.1: Analyze features & rhetorical devices

Strategic Rereading & Evaluating the Text Paraphrasing the Text With your partner, choose 3 of your highlighted samples and paraphrase them EXAMPLE: “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (–) might sound like “Hamlet compares being alive to have fate shoot at him” Consider the difference between having Hamlet say that life is like “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and having him just say “life isn’t very pleasant.” Writing 2.5: Write Summaries of reading materials; Writing 2.2a: Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of ideas in works or passages

Thinking Critically Does the soliloquy form seem to favor the expression of emotion (pathos) or logic (logos)? Explain. Does Hamlet’s soliloquy use pathos to create a specific effect on the reader? If so, describe how emotion is used. Does Hamlet’s soliloquy use logic, or logos, to create a specific effect on the reader? If so, describe how the logic is used. Reading 2.4: Make warranted assertions about the author’s argument; Reading 2.5: Analyze and author’s implicit and explicit assumptions; Reading 2.6: Critique the validity & truthfulness of the argument

Thinking Critically When Hamlet speaks his soliloquy, he is in crisis. How do his circumstances position Hamlet to speak with authority (ethos) about the value of life? As careful readers, we are of course aware that it’s not really Hamlet speaking, but Shakespeare. Does Shakespeare seem like someone whose opinions and attitudes are worth considering? Why? Reading 2.4: Make warranted assertions about the author’s argument; Reading 2.5: Analyze and author’s implicit and explicit assumptions; Reading 2.6: Critique the validity & truthfulness of the argument

Considering the Structure of the Text Charting the text: With a partner fill out the chart for the Hamlet Soliloquy. Be ready to share with the class. What is the text’s big issue? What claim does the text make? What are the text’s examples/quotes? What do you think about the text’s claim? What are your examples? How does this text connect to other texts? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.2: Analyze clarity of meaning & patterns of organization

It’s Not About the Bike By Lance Armstrong Text 2

Surveying the Text What do you know about Lance Armstrong? What is the significance of the fact that the book is written by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins? What kind of text – what genre – do you think this book is? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them

Making Predictions & Asking Questions What topics do you think Lance Armstrong might talk about that are related to the issue of how we value life? Do you think Lance Armstrong’s claim about the value of life will agree with Hamlet’s or not? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.3: Verify and clarify facts

Introducing Key Vocabulary 1.Expire 2.Poignant 3.Demise 4.Cadence 5.Marbled 6.Acrid 7.Puckered 8.Catheter 9.Constitution 10.Articulate a.Physical makeup or strength b.Pace, rhythm c.Die d.Describe coherently e.Indented, sucked-in f.Ending, death g.multi-colored h.Tube used in medical procedures i.Bitter j.Touching, sentimental Word Analysis 1.1 & 1.2

Read the Text As you read, try to determine if Armstrong appears to be generally pessimistic or optimistic. Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.2: Analyze clarity, organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of ideas, syntax, & word choice.

Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text First Highlighting & Characterizing the Text With an yellow highlighter, highlight the sentences, phrases, and/or words that Armstrong uses to describe what he thinks it means to be alive. With your partner, mark commonly-highlighted parts with a “+” or “-” to indicate whether the quote shows a generally positive or negative outlook on life. Is Armstrong a optimist or a pessimist? Research & Tech 1.7; Reading 2.2 ;

Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text Research & Tech 1.7; Reading 2.2 ; Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text Second Highlighting & Connecting the Texts Look at Armstrong’s text as if you were Hamlet. With an green highlighter, mark the sentences, phrases, and/or words that Hamlet would find particularly interesting. Research & Tech 1.7; Reading 2.2 ;

Thinking Critically Text Structure and Ethos, Logos, Pathos What is an autobiography? Does it tell the “truth”? Do you think Armstrong is being truthful in his account of his life? Explain your reasoning. Armstrong’s autobiography is written by Armstrong “with” Sally Jenkins. What role do you think Jenkins played in the writing of the text? –How does her participation in the creation of the text influence your interpretation of Armstrong’s story? (How does the combination of Armstrong's and Jenkins as authors affect the “ethos” of the text?) Reading 2.4; Reading 2.5; Reading 2.6

Thinking Critically Text Structure and Ethos, Logos, Pathos Do you think that Armstrong's story has an impact on the reader because of its use of logic (logos) or emotion (pathos) or both? Unlike Hamlet, Armstrong is not in the midst of his crisis when he writes his story; instead, he writes about his experiences in hindsight. Does that have an impact on Armstrong’s ability to make his ideas and story compelling to the reader? Explain your reasoning. Reading 2.4; Reading 2.5; Reading 2.6

Considering the Structure of the Text Charting the text: With a partner fill out the chart for the Armstrong Text. Be ready to share with the class. What is the text’s big issue? What claim does the text make? What are the text’s examples/quotes? What do you think about the text’s claim? What are your examples? How does this text connect to other texts? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.2: Analyze clarity of meaning & patterns of organization

“What is a life worth?” By Amanda Ripley

Surveying the Text How much time do you think it will take to read the piece? Have you read anything from Time magazine? What do you know about that publication? What kinds of articles are commonly included in it? What types of people do you think comprise the magazine’s primary readership? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them

Making Predictions & Asking Questions What predictions can you make about the article’s content from what the subtitle says? What connections do you think you might see between this article and the previous two texts you have read? The first two texts took first-person perspectives on the subject. Do you anticipate that this article will continue in that vein, or will it be different? Why do you think so? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.3: Verify and clarify facts

Introducing Key Vocabulary Financial and Legal Terms 1.compensate 2.litigation 3.commodify 4.valuation 5.discretion 6.liability 7.beneficiary 8.tort 9.allocation 10.disparity a.a civil lawsuit to remedy a wrongful act b.legal action; suing c.debt or disadvantage d.unfairness, unevenness e.recipient of a benefit, usually monetary f.judgment g.make up for a loss h.turns something into an object of monetary value (verb) i.determination of a monetary value (noun) j.distribution, especially of money Word Analysis 1.1 & 1.2

Introducing Key Vocabulary Emotion-laden words 1.squeamish 2.garish 3.gall 4.traumatize 5.callous 6.inconsolable 7.indignant 8.balk 9.deteriorate a.degenerate; gradually fall apart b.offensively bright and showy c.uncaring, cold d.full of anger over an injustice e.to inflict stress or pain upon someone f.easily offended g.to be insulting h.incapable of being comforted i.resist; refuse to proceed Word Analysis 1.1 & 1.2

Read the Text As you read, look for the main issues, and the various stances people take in response to those issues. Look for connections to the idea of valuing life. Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.2: Analyze clarity, organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of ideas, syntax, & word choice.

Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text Highlighting with Two Colors: With a yellow highlighter mark words, phrases, and sentences from Ripley’s article that describe valuing life in legal and financial terms With a pink highlighter mark words, phrases, and sentences that describe valuing life in human and emotional terms. With a green highlighter mark the facts (evidence/ concrete details) in the article. Vocabulary Development 1.0; Research & Technology 1.7; Reading Comprehension 2.2; Writing 2.5

Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text Summarizing the Text: With your partner, summarize the article’s descriptions of how life is valued, and people’s response to that valuing of life. Include only the most important ideas and limit yourself to only six sentences. Vocabulary Development 1.0; Research & Technology 1.7; Reading Comprehension 2.2; Writing 2.5

Strategic rereading & Evaluating the Text Connecting the Texts: Read one other group’s summary. With your new group of 4 answer the following questions. –Would Hamlet agree with any of the ideas presented in the article? If so, which ones? –Would Armstrong agree with any of the ideas in the article? If so, which ones? –Would Armstrong and Hamlet be in agreement at all in the way they would likely interpret this article’s ideas? If so, how? Vocabulary Development 1.0; Research & Technology 1.7; Reading Comprehension 2.2; Writing 2.5

Thinking Critically Text Structure and Ethos, Logos, Pathos Most news articles such as “What is a life worth?” try to take an objective, unbiased approach. Would you agree that this text is unbiased, or do you think it favors one perspective? Explain your answer. What kinds of evidence does Amanda Ripley, the author of the article, use to get across the key ideas and issues associated with the compensation of 9/11 victims and their families? Are any specific types of evidence more compelling to you as a reader? Less compelling? Reading 2.4; Reading 2.5; Reading 2.6

Thinking Critically Text Structure and Ethos, Logos, Pathos How well do you trust the accuracy of the information within the article? In other words, do you think that Time magazine and/or Amanda Ripley are to be trusted? Why or why not? Does the article use logic and/or emotion to make an impact on the reader? If so, please describe how, and compare the use to the way logic and emotion are used by Shakespeare and/or Armstrong. Reading 2.4; Reading 2.5; Reading 2.6

Considering the Structure of the Text Charting the text: With a partner fill out the chart for “What is a life worth”. Be ready to share with the class. What is the text’s big issue? What claim does the text make? What are the text’s examples/quotes? What do you think about the text’s claim? What are your examples? How does this text connect to other texts? Reading 2.1: Analyze rhetorical devices & the way the author uses them; Reading 2.2: Analyze clarity of meaning & patterns of organization

QUIZ (number 1 – 10) True/False

Multiple Choice

Quiz Answers (exchange papers) Score papers (?/10) and write C/B and your name at the bottom of the page Score papers (?/10) and write C/B and your name at the bottom of the page.

Final Reflection What were your most significant learning experiences? In other words, list content, themes, literary elements, and habits of mind that you felt were most enriching or enlightening. Now staple all papers together & be sure your name is noted.